I recently completed my MSc at UCL in VC, PE with Fintech. Th corner stone project of the master's was my dissertation, which tests how reliable venture capital exit predictions are when investor co-investment networks change. It compares standard tabular models with a graph neural network. Read it here.
I'm also building my Python skills and looking to collaborate on research in venture capital and private equity. My background includes venture capital, private equity, financial modeling, and analsis.
Outside of academics, I care about impact and leadership. I have worked on initiatives like Campaign52 in East Africa, and I enjoy staying active through jiu jitsu, calisthenics, and piano.
You can find me on LinkedIn or reach me at karimabbas422@gmail.com. Fun fact: I have lived in all the countries with United in the name.
This repository maps my academic and professional journey across the University of Leeds, UCL, and independent ventures — and shows how the different threads of my work connect.
A walkthrough from my BSc in Banking & Finance at Leeds (dissertation on PE impact in US pharma) through my MSc in Venture Capital and Private Equity with Financial Technology at UCL, which ended with a dissertation on VC exit prediction.
The diagram below shows how skills, themes, and domains intersect across my portfolio. Each project sits at the crossroads of multiple disciplines — nothing exists in isolation.
graph TD
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% INSTITUTION GROUPS
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
subgraph LEEDS ["University of Leeds"]
direction LR
DISS([Dissertation:\nPE in US Pharma])
end
subgraph UCL_GROUP ["UCL — MSc PE, VC & Fintech"]
direction LR
MSCD([MSc Dissertation:\nVC Exit Prediction])
BB([Balfour Beatty\nEquity Research])
SIGMA([SigmaData\nInvestment Case])
FINVISE([Finvise\nInvestment Case])
RCM([RCM US:\nTiger Global])
BICO([Biconomy\nWhite Paper])
SHIP([Shipping\nML Forecasting])
SILK([Silk Road\nVentures Fund])
end
subgraph OUTSIDE ["Outside — Independent & Professional"]
direction LR
DUNES([Duneway Ventures\nMENA Fund])
KHAZNA([Khazna\nInvestment Case])
VENSURE([Vensure\nCapital])
WANDR([Wandr\nStartup])
end
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% SKILL / THEME NODES (centre column)
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
FA{{"Financial Analysis\n& Valuation"}}
FT{{"Fintech &\nInnovation"}}
VCD{{"Venture Capital\n& Fund Design"}}
DS{{"Data Science &\nQuantitative Methods"}}
EM{{"MENA &\nEmerging Markets"}}
SB{{"Startup\nBuilding"}}
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% CONNECTIONS: Leeds → Themes
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
DISS --- FA
DISS --- DS
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% CONNECTIONS: UCL → Themes
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
MSCD --- VCD
MSCD --- DS
MSCD --- FT
BB --- FA
SIGMA --- FA
SIGMA --- VCD
SIGMA --- DS
FINVISE --- FA
FINVISE --- FT
FINVISE --- VCD
RCM --- FA
RCM --- FT
RCM --- VCD
BICO --- FT
SHIP --- DS
SILK --- VCD
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% CONNECTIONS: Outside → Themes
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
DUNES --- VCD
DUNES --- EM
KHAZNA --- FA
KHAZNA --- FT
KHAZNA --- EM
VENSURE --- VCD
VENSURE --- FT
VENSURE --- EM
WANDR --- FT
WANDR --- SB
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
%% STYLES
%% ════════════════════════════════════════
classDef theme fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#e94560,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff,font-weight:bold;
classDef leedsStyle fill:#fce4ec,stroke:#c62828,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#333;
classDef uclStyle fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1565c0,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#333;
classDef outsideStyle fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:1.5px,color:#333;
class FA,FT,VCD,DS,EM,SB theme;
class DISS leedsStyle;
class MSCD,BB,SIGMA,FINVISE,RCM,BICO,SHIP,SILK uclStyle;
class DUNES,KHAZNA,VENSURE,WANDR outsideStyle;
style LEEDS fill:#fff5f5,stroke:#c62828,stroke-width:2px,color:#333;
style UCL_GROUP fill:#f0f7ff,stroke:#1565c0,stroke-width:2px,color:#333;
style OUTSIDE fill:#f0fff0,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px,color:#333;
Legend: Projects are grouped by institution. The dark theme nodes in the centre show the skills and domains that connect work across all three phases of my journey.
| Project | Context | Key Skills |
|---|---|---|
| MSc Dissertation: VC Exit Prediction · Code: Main 40 repo | UCL MSc | Python, graph neural networks, network analysis, VC data |
| Dissertation: PE in US Pharma | Leeds BSc | Econometrics, panel regressions, academic research |
| Balfour Beatty Research Note | UCL | Equity research, DCF valuation, financial modelling |
| SigmaData Investment Case | UCL | VC due diligence, SaaS metrics, AI/NLP evaluation |
| Finvise Investment Case | UCL | Early-stage valuation, term sheets, cap tables |
| RCM US — Tiger Global | UCL | Healthcare fintech, competitive benchmarking |
| Khazna Investment Recommendation | Independent | Emerging market fintech, financial inclusion |
| Biconomy White Paper · Presentation | UCL | Blockchain, DeFi, AI infrastructure |
| Shipping ML Forecasting · Code | UCL — Data Analytics | Python, panel regression, time-series ML |
| Project | Context | Key Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Silk Road Ventures · GP Doc · LP Doc | UCL | Fund structuring, portfolio construction |
| Duneway Ventures · Investment Memo | Stanford | Complete MENA Fund Analysis |
| Vensure Capital | UCL | Fund management, DeFi, portfolio strategy |
| Project | Context | Key Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Wandr | Stanford ASES | Product design, market sizing, go-to-market |
Karim Abbas — BSc Banking & Finance (University of Leeds) · MSc Private Equity, Venture Capital & Fintech (UCL)